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H0068........................................................by MR. SPEAKER
Requested by Department of Fish and Game
FISH AND GAME DEPARTMENT - Amends existing law to provide that the Division
of Financial Management shall each year develop and submit to the
Department of Fish and Game a cost index factor reflecting changes to the
cost components of the department; to provide application to each license
or fee of the department; to provide that the resulting license or fee
shall be reported to the legislature; to provide for treatment by the
legislature; to provide an effective date for the report; and to provide
for establishment of a new base fee.
01/11 House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
01/11 Rpt prt - to Res/Con
H0068|||| LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO |||| Fifty-fifth Legislature First Regular Session - 1999IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HOUSE BILL NO. 68 BY MR. SPEAKER Requested by: Department of Fish and Game 1 AN ACT 2 RELATING TO FISH AND GAME; AMENDING SECTION 36-403, IDAHO CODE, TO PROVIDE 3 THAT THE DIVISION OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SHALL EACH YEAR DEVELOP AND SUB- 4 MIT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME A COST INDEX FACTOR REFLECTING 5 CHANGES TO THE COST COMPONENTS OF THE DEPARTMENT, TO PROVIDE APPLICATION 6 TO EACH LICENSE OR FEE OF THE DEPARTMENT, TO PROVIDE THAT THE RESULTING 7 LICENSE OR FEE SHALL BE REPORTED TO THE LEGISLATURE, TO PROVIDE FOR TREAT- 8 MENT BY THE LEGISLATURE, TO PROVIDE AN EFFECTIVE DATE FOR THE REPORT AND 9 TO PROVIDE FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF A NEW BASE FEE. 10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho: 11 SECTION 1. That Section 36-403, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby 12 amended to read as follows: 13 36-403. EXPIRATION DATES -- LICENSES, TAGS AND PERMITS -- INDEX 14 FACTOR . (a) Annual Licenses -- Tags and Permits. All annual hunting and 15 fishing licenses shall expire December 31 of the year for which they are 16 valid. Trapping licenses shall expire on June 30 next following date of issu- 17 ance. All tags and permits issued pursuant to the provisions of this chapter 18 shall be valid only during the time that the corresponding basic license is 19 valid. 20 (b) Senior Resident, Blind Person and Disabled Person Permits. All free 21 senior resident, blind person and disabled person permits issued prior to July 22 1, 1998, shall expire on December 31, 1998. Thereafter, all senior resident, 23 blind person and disabled person permits shall be an annual license. 24 (c) By August 1 of each year, the division of financial management 25 shall submit to the department a factor which reflects changes in a cost index 26 developed by the division of financial management. Fiscal year 1999 shall be 27 the base year from which the factor shall be computed. The factor shall 28 reflect changes to the various cost components of the department including 29 salaries, personnel benefits, operating expenses, capital outlay, trustee and 30 benefit payments and transfers from the fish and game account. Such factor 31 shall be multiplied by the individual base fee for each license or fee and the 32 product shall be rounded to the nearest twenty-five cents (25[), and the 33 resulting amount shall be added to or subtracted from the fee for the current 34 year. The commission shall report the resulting amount for each department 35 license or fee to the legislature by the seventh legislative day of each ses- 36 sion. The legislature may, by concurrent resolution, accept, modify or reject 37 the report. The report shall be accepted if the legislature does not modify or 38 reject the report prior to adjournment sine die. The accepted or modified 39 report shall be effective on and after May 1 of each year. Provided however, 40 that the most recent approved legislation which modifies the base fee shall 41 take precedence and shall establish a new base fee to apply the cost index 42 factor against in succeeding years.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
RS08451
Since inception, the department's financial situation has been on
a cycle of adequate funding to inadequate funding for its fish and
wildlife programs. This is because fees do not keep up with the
department's cost of doing business. The result has been a cycle
of a "large fee increase" followed by a period of no increases. In
order to balance the department's budget the Fish and Game
Commission then had to cut programs until fees were increased.
This cycle of ups and downs is inefficient and costly. During the
down cycles, needed programs are cut or eliminated, needed repairs
are delayed and well-trained employees leave. The net result is
costly to everyone. The sportsmen end up having to repay program
startup costs. Minor maintenance ends up being major repair or
replacement expenditures. New employees have to be trained with
all the inherent costs in learning their jobs.
This bill specifies that the Division of Financial Management will
develop a cost index based on the department's actual costs of
doing business. The commission will calculate the amount of change
since the base year (1999) and prepare a fee change report. Fees
would be rounded to the nearest 25 cents ($0.25).
The commission will submit to the legislature a report of fee
changes by the seventh legislative day. The legislature may then
accept, reject or modify the report. Any fee changes would be
effective on May 1 of each year.
This will fix the department's programs at a constant sustainable
level. This will not provide a method for the department to
increase programs. Any increase to the department's overall
program level would have to be specifically approved by the
legislature.
FISCAL IMPACT
This will provide for small fee changes annually based on the
department's cost factor. For example, if the legislature approved
a change in employee compensation of 2.5%, a 1.3% inflationary
operating expense increase and other cost factors were similar,
then the overall cost factor may be about 2.0%. If so based on
current fees, it would generate about $460,000 in license revenue
about a year after the cost increases were incurred.
For example, if in year 1 the factor was 2.0% and in year 2 it was
2.5% the resulting increases would be as such:
Res. Combination
20.00
.50
.50
Res. Hunting
6.00
None
.25
Res. Fishing
15.00
.25
.50
Sr. Res. Combination
3.00
None
.25
Res. Jr. Combination
10.00
.25
.25
Jr. Hunting
4.00
None
.25
Jr. Fishing
7.00
.25
None
Res. Deer Tag
15.00
.25
.50
Res. Elk Tag
21.00
.50
.50
CONTACT
Name: Patric Cudmore
Agency: Department of Fish and Game
Phone: 334-3746
Statement of Purpose/Fiscal Impact H68